For over one hundred years, there have been slot machines that use spinning reels to display to the player the results of the play of the game. In the earliest embodiment of a slot machine, a player would insert a token to activate the slot machine and then pull a handle to cause the mechanical linkage to commence the spinning of the three slot reels. As the reels mechanically slowed down, the first reel would stop, the second reel would stop and finally the third reel would stop displaying one symbol on each reel along a pay line. If the combination of displayed symbols on the pay line was a winning combination, the player would receive a payout.
The traditional reel slot machine has three mechanical reels that rotate around a common horizontal axis. A reel strip is attached around the circumference of each slot reel and the reel strip contains a plurality of symbols thereon. As each reel comes to a stop, a symbol on the perimeter of the reel strip is displayed on a horizontal pay line on the face of the gaming machine. If the symbols that align on the pay line match one of the preselected winning combinations, the player is a winner.
Over the years and in keeping with the changes in technology, slot machines have evolved from purely mechanical devices, then through electromechanical devices to the present day slot machines which are entirely controlled electronically by programmed computer chips. While most of the more popular slot machines still use physical reel strips to display the symbols on the pay line, the operation of the machine is controlled by an electronically programmable computer ship which sends signals to the mechanical operating mechanism which then causes each reel to stop in order to display the randomly determined combination of symbols on the pay line.
The traditional three reel slot machine has a glass panel on the front through which the player can view the spinning reels and the resultant stopped positions of the slot reels. In the most basic configuration, a three reel slot machine has a glass panel that is large enough to show three adjoining symbols of the reel strip at one time. The center symbol is usually the pay line symbol, but the player is allowed to see the symbol above the pay line and the symbol below the pay line.
Also, in the traditional three reel slot machine, all three reels are programmed to begin spinning simultaneously when the player pulls on the handle (or press the SPIN button, which is becoming the more prevalent method of activating the slot machine). The computer controls cause all three reels to spin for a predetermined length of time, usually two to three seconds. The first reel is caused to stop, followed by the second reel and finally the third reel resulting in the combination of symbols being displayed along the pay line. A pay table is maintained in the computer memory and also displayed to the player on the front of the slot machine. If the three symbols displayed on the pay line are a wining combination according to the pay table, the player receives an award, the size or amount of which is determined by the number of tokens wagered and the particular combination of symbols displayed.
Besides using mechanical reels, slot machines have been developed that use video representations of spinning reels. However, video reel slot machines have not been as successful as the mechanical spinning reel slot machines because the players feel that their chances of winning are lower on video slot machines. On a mechanical spinning reel slot machine, a player has a feel for the number of symbols that are located on the reel strip which is mounted around the circumference of the spinning reel and therefore the player perceives that he knows the odds of each symbol appearing on a pay line. In a video slot machine, the player has no way of perceiving how many symbols are possible to appear in each window behind the pay line. Therefore, the player perception is that he is receiving a better opportunity of winning on a mechanical spinning reel slot machine.
There have been many modifications proposed over the years to this basic operating method of the traditional three reel slot machine. For example, the number of reels have been decreased (the two reel slot machine) or increased (as many as ten reels have been used, the so-called Big Bertha slot machine). Also, the number of pay lines have been increased—since three rows of symbols are traditionally shown behind the glass panel, the player can wager three tokens to activate each of the three horizontal rows as possible pay line rows. Five-way slot machines have been used in which the player, by wagering five tokens, can activate the three horizontal rows and the two diagonal rows as possible wining pay lines. Even an eight-way pay line has been developed using three vertical columns as the three additional pay lines. By increasing the number of reels from three reels to five reels, the number of pay lines can be increased to nine, or even twenty, pay lines.
Modifications have also been made to the pay tables to vary the method of operation in an attempt to increase the appeal of the slot machine to the player. By inserting additional tokens, the player can multiply the amount of the payouts that a player may receive for a winning combination. Alternatively, by wagering additional tokens, the player can cause additional winning combinations to be activated on any particular spin. For example, for the first token wagered, only the cherry symbols are activated as winning symbols. In order to activate the other fruit symbols as winning symbols, the player must wager two tokens. Finally, in order to activate the “7”'s as winning symbols, the player must wager three tokens.
One recent development has been what are known as secondary or bonus event slot machines. In secondary or bonus event slot machines, the player first plays a main slot game. If a preselected event occurs during the play of the main game, the player is provided with a secondary event which allows the player an opportunity to win a bonus payout.
One of the drawbacks of the secondary or bonus event slot machine is the infrequency with which the player is awarded the opportunity to play the secondary event feature. Player are often frustrated when they know that have a chance to play the secondary event feature, but more than one hundred spins of the reels may occur before the player is awarded with this secondary event feature.
There continues to be a need in the casino gaming industry for new and creative slot machines that will appeal to the player. A slot machine with a sports theme would appeal to the player since most casino players are familiar with the major sports that are played-in the United States and other countries. Since most people are familiar with baseball, as it is the oldest of the major professional sports, a slot machine with a baseball theme would be easily understood by even the most casual casino player.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a slot machine with a sports theme, such as baseball, and to provide the player with the possibility of winning a payout on each spin of the reels (which are considered an individual at-bat) and to provide the player with the possibility of winning one or more additional payouts for accumulating a group of winning combinations over a series of spins (which are considered accumulated baseball statistics over a full baseball season).
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a slot machine using a sports theme, such as a baseball theme. Each spin of the slot reels represents an at-bat and a series of spins represents a baseball season. Each successful at-bat by the player (such as single, double, triple or home run) will be awarded with a payout, with higher payouts provided for runs batted in (“RBI”) and special additional payouts are awarded for home runs depending on the distance of the home run. Statistics are also accumulated over the course of a baseball season which is a series of spins of the reels.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the player will have the opportunity to win payouts on each spin of the reels and the player will also have the opportunity to win payouts based on the player's accumulated totals over a series of spins. The player will be encouraged to continue playing the slot machine over a full season of at-bats in order to win the full season bonus payouts.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.